Uncategorized | They went west

Richard and I landed in Kaua’i just one short week ago and have been slowly settling in. We spent the first few days running from here to there and every where to pick up food and furniture and other items to make our new little place feel like home. In between running around and settling in we’ve had a few opportunities to explore some beaches, restaurants and shopping areas. To keep this first post short and sweet [read: long and involved], here is a list of our top 10 favorite things about Kaua’i so far:

Poipu Beach Park Movie – We just happened to arrive in Kaua’i during the Koloa Plantation Days Festival which is a 10-day festival with tons of activities and music. Last Friday we went to the movie in the park and watched a movie on the beach under the stars.
Salt Pond Beach Park – This is the closest beach park to our new home. It is protected by some great rocky reefs so it offers a well protected swimming area. It is also one of the only places in Hawaii that still has an active salt pond where sea water is evaporated to make salt!
Kaua’i Island Brewery – Leave it to us to find craft beer immediately upon our arrival. Fortunately for us this brewery is within walking distance to our place! Not only is the beer great, but the food is too! So much so that we have already been twice.
The Shops at Kukui’ula – Great Poipu shopping and restaurant center that is a short drive from our house and offers several restaurants, shops, coffee, art and more! We’ve had fun exploring it, especially the Living Foods Market which reminds us of Dish Gourmet in Boulder.
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee – So much [great] coffee everywhere! We live right next door to Kauai Coffee Company and Estate where they grow and sell 100% Hawaiian Coffee. There are also some amazing local shops (Java Kai and Little Fish) that we have already frequented.
Lilo and Stitch – What’s the best way to figure out just where in the world we are? Watch Lilo and Stitch! (Ok maybe not THE best way, but definitely a fun way) We had a little netflix time this week and decided we should watch Disney’s interpretation of Hawaii. One of the opening scenes is a map sequence where the aliens plot out where stitch will land as he is exiled from space. Sure enough that little alien lands right here on Kaua’i and smack dab in the middle of our tiny town according to the map.
Shipwreck Beach / Cliff Trail – I am sure there is a much better and way cooler name for this trail and I will certainly share it when I learn it! Shipwreck beach is about 20 minutes fro our house and has an incredible cliffside hiking trail that is completely stunning.
Aloha Spirit – they say Hawaii is the happiest state and I believe it. So far we’ve met the nicest people. Quick example – we needed to rent a Home Depot truck to get some furniture home from Lihue. The only truck was rented for the day just minutes before we went to rent it and the renters were loading it up right at the front door. Out of curiosity Richard asked where the truck renters were headed and thankfully they were going our way. Not only did they help pick up our table from the store, they also loaded it into their personal truck and drove it to our house with us following behind. They were two sisters working on a house in Kokee and we had the nicest chat in our driveway after their delivery.
CostCo – yes, we had CostCo in Colorado, but this CostCo is a lifesaver. Not only does it have the cheapest gas on the island that we have seen so far, it also has some of our favorite food items from Colorado and Hawaii on the cheap. I’m sure we will be there often.
Fruit trees – In our back yard we have an avocado tree, a mango tree and a mandarin tree that has so many mandarins on it I’m not sure what we will do when they ripen up. We’re really looking forward to sampling the hyperlocal selection of fruit right outside our door!